


Time Goes On

by PensivePixie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, Cheating, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 04:22:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2837807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PensivePixie/pseuds/PensivePixie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tonks is unfaithful and Remus finds out about it.  This is his response to the situation.  AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is AU following the storyline of Late nights, Quidditch & Supper but takes place farther in the future after the war. Remus and Tonks never married due to him being a werewolf and now have two children together. Charlie Weasley was her first love. I am just playing around with the characters review!
> 
> Disclaimer:All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Remus Lupin was not a man given to fits or anger. He tended to be calm and polite towards everyone except when showing his love and affection for his family. The past two weeks had thrown him for a loop however and he spent his time withdrawn and brooding. His partner constantly begged him to tell her what was wrong but he refused to answer. He only seemed to snap out of his lethargy and melancholy whenever one of his children was around. Then he would smile sadly and clasp them to him until they protested at his affection. He was distant and slightly cool towards his partner but mostly acted distracted. He had a huge problem on his hands and he was pondering the best course of action to take.

Late one night a week later as he and Tonks were preparing for bed he decided to tell her his news. He noticed that lately they went to bed separately and slept on opposite sides of the bed. They never met up during the day and he couldn't remember the last time they had shared more than a perfunctory kiss and reflexive I love you. He also thought of how often she was absent for so called work related causes.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," he announced.

"Where are you going?" she asked in surprise. She climbed into bed and watched him as he came to sit on his side of the bed and faced her.

"I've rented a flat off Diagon Alley," he said quietly. She gazed at him with a puzzled expression on her face. He cleared his throat and jumped in with an explanation.

"I had some visitors a few weeks ago, Tonks. Ginny and Hermione came to visit me. It seems that they had found out something that they thought it was important I know about." He stopped here to look at her and was dismayed to see her slowly dawning look of recognition and horror.

"They told me about you and Charlie," he continued slowly. "I knew some of it but I was not aware of how long it's been going on or to what extent it had preceded." She made to interrupt him but he forcefully interjected.

"Nymphadora, I am old but I am not stupid. I know that you still love him and I know that things have not been right between us for sometime. I thought that we were happy but even I in my blindness can see now how far apart we've drifted. I only blame myself for becoming complacent and not seeing things more clearly. I only hope that whatever is between us will not get in the way of our children. I hope that you will not keep me from them," he finished calmly.

He had had a few weeks to make his peace with the news and make his plans. Even though it was killing him inside, he was not going to prevent her from her happiness; he simply loved her to much to do that. She looked at him in disbelief and then began to cry.

"Remus…" she said at an utter loss for words.

"It's ok," he said smiling his old, tired smile. It was one she hadn't seen since the War ended ten years ago and it made him look very old.

"I have been thinking about this for awhile and I think this is the best solution available. I only want you to be happy and I am sorry that I could not make you so. I will leave in the morning with only my own personal possessions. I will leave everything else to you but I am hopeful that you will let me see the children frequently. They are old enough to understand."

"I-I don't know what to say. I can't deny any of it yet I don't want it to end with us either," she sobbed out.

"Why?" he asked with bated breath looking at her sharply.

"The children will be so upset and they won't understand, Remus. They will think it is their fault. Please, don't go! We can work it out. I am happy with you and our life together."

He took a huge breath to steady himself and then slowly exhaled in a sigh. "No," he said tiredly rubbing his eyes, he could feel a migraine coming on, "We are merely complacent. I would hardly think that if you were happy you would need to find comfort in someone else's bed for two years. I am tired and I am old and it seems my life is a lie. But even an old wolf has his pride Nymphadora and I can't stay."

He looked with alarm at her as she cried so hard he wondered if she could breathe. He started to reach out to her to comfort her as he had always done but the thought of Charlie Weasley's hands on her stopped him. He stood up.

"I'll sleep in the other room tonight," he said moving towards the door. As he closed it behind him the last thing he saw was her collapse on the bed in her grief.


	2. Chapter 2

Neither Remus nor Tonks slept that night and when the sun came up Remus was already busy packing. He packed all of his clothes, personal possessions, treasures and books into his trunks and bags and shrank them with a reducing spell. As he passed the sitting room he saw the many pictures sitting on the mantle and strode over to look at them. There was an old picture or two of the Marauders at sixteen and again in their late twenties right before the betrayal. The pictures were old and yellowing and the fact that he hadn't looked at them in a long time made him feel slightly guilty. He remembered then that he was truly the last of them, Peter having been killed in the war, and that except for his children he was once again on his own. He was thus lost in thought and didn't hear Tonks enter the room until she spoke.

"You really are going then?" He was startled and almost dropped the pictures but managed to catch them at the last second. She was surprised to catch him standing there reminiscing over old pictures. He hadn't done that in years. As she looked at him standing in the morning light she saw him truly for the first time in awhile herself.

His temples were solidly gray now including the slight sideburns he still wore. There were more wrinkles and lines on his face and she knew that under his clothes there lurked newer scars. He had gained more weight and was overly tanner but he still had the long, lanky frame that made him wolf-like in his appearance. He also walked with a slight limp, his leg never fully recovered from the blast Bellatrix had given him right before he had ended her life in the final battle of the War.

The thought of his sacrifice in killing her to save Tonks and their child sent her walking towards him. With a slight smile she reached up and gently traced his jaw, which was still firm, and his shaggy, long hair. Thanks to the lycanthropy he would never lose his hair but it would grow steadily grayer. She used to love to run her fingers through his hair as they lay in bed together and trace his jaw with her fingers and lips as they-abruptly he jerked away from her and she looked down to see his fist clenched tightly at his side.

"Do not touch me, Nymphadora," he ground out. He was as always intoxicated by her touch and knew he would lose the battle to regain his pride if he let her continue. He would not be a willing bystander as she played her games and frolicked with her lover.

"Don't call me that name!" she huffed, hurt by his sudden movement away from her.

"Don't be childish and don't play games with me," he said under control again.

"I am not playing with you Remus, I love you. Don't you remember how happy we were? Remember all those times we both pretended that I had nightmares so we could sleep together? And how happy we were when we found out about the baby? And how I worried endlessly about you every time you left me to go on a mission?" She cried out near tears again.

He looked down at her from his height and muttered, "Lately I wonder if even then you would have gone back to him if it hadn't been for Sirius." She began to cry at this and moments later his children came running into the room.

"Dad!" they cried launching themselves at him. Remus clutched them to him and then held them away as they talked.

"Mum said you were going to live in Diagon Alley for a little bit," his 10 year old son Sirius said with folded arms.

"Why are you leaving Daddy?" his 8 year old daughter Elinore pouted.

He hunched down and explained to them that he needed to go away for awhile to clear his head. He told them that he and their Mum were not getting along and that maybe if he lived somewhere else for awhile they would. He could tell Elinore was still confused but Sirius looked mad and hurt. It broke Remus's heart and he began to cry. He grasped them to him again in a tight embrace and they stayed that way for awhile crying together as Tonks watched from the doorway, tears spilling down her own face.

He knew he had to go soon before he gave in and stayed and so after some more answered questions he stood up and went to the fireplace to floo to Diagon Alley. Tonks came forward and the children rushed to her side and she enfolded them in her arms as they all cried together.

Remus tried to smile through his tears and assured them they would see plenty of him and they could always come to see him no matter what.

"I love you," he said to them, "I will see you soon. Goodbye." With a nod to Tonks he stepped into the green flames and disappeared. The flames died down to their regular color and the empty fireplace mocked them.

"Mum, why did he really leave?" Sirius asked looking up at his mother who he clung tightly too.

"Doesn't he love you anymore?" Elinore asked from her other side.

Tonks looked down into the faces of her children and their identical, slate blue tear-filled eyes looked up at her. They were Remus's eyes and she began to cry harder as she thought of what she had done to their family.


	3. Chapter 3

Three months later….

It had been a long three months without the comfort and familiarity of his home in London. Remus missed the children desperately each day he was without them. He had gone from seeing them everyday to seeing them once a week. It didn't seem like enough time to him but Tonks insisted the children needed to get used to not having him around.

Remus was currently standing in Flourish and Blotts perusing the aisles for some sort of distraction from his life. He needed something to get his mind off his children and his recent case of writers block in his own writing. His career as a writer had taken off and he was seriously considering writing for the Muggle world at this point. He selected and purchased a few books avoiding some of the stares from the other patrons as did so. Nosy Gits, he thought to himself. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled the door shut and started up the street.

As he passed the Magical Menagerie he saw a raven sitting in a cage outside. He thought he might like to buy it for Sirius as he would appreciate the creature's intelligence and strong sense of mischief. He was examining the creature minutely and it was examining him right back when a slight noise made him look up.

"Dad!" someone screamed right before two blurs slammed into him. "Ummffpp!" he said as the wind was knocked out of him but still managing to catch his two children. He bent down to gather them in his arms.

"What are you two doing here?" he said unable to stop grinning as he stared at them. It had been so long since he'd seen them. He ruffled Sirius's hair while the boy batted at him playfully but also continued to grin. Elinore simply clung to her father and chattered about chocolate and school clothes.

"What now, what's this?" he said to her as he realized her ramblings were running together.

"Mum said I couldn't have any chocolate today. She said I was mean to Charlie but I don't care!" she pouted.

"Now I can fix that," Remus said with a grin reaching into his pocket for the chocolate he always carried. He broke off half and gave it to his daughter who promptly stuck it in her mouth.

"Dad, when can we come visit you? I can't stand that git Charlie," Sirius said. "Sirius!" a female voice scolded. Remus looked up into his ex partners face and the beautiful look on his face faded.

"Nymphadora," he acknowledged.

"Don't call me that, Remus," she said automatically. "Is that chocolate? I told her she couldn't have any!"

"I know she told me that after I had given it to her," he said winking at his daughter. She continued to munch on it happily.

"I told you Daddy would have chocolate for me," she said.

Tonks sighed, "I should have known," she said shaking her head. "Remus, she's in trouble."

"What did she do that was that terrible?" he asked. Sirius stood to the side his arms crossed and a sullen look on his face. His hair was getting long and he kept tossing his head to get it out of his face. Remus looked at him and couldn't help but think of the boy's namesake and thus his daughter's misdeeds faded from his thoughts.

"She filled his pockets with frog spawn….." Tonks started in. Remus tuned her out as he grinned at his daughter and his son came to stand closer to him.

"Dad, do you see that raven? It's bloody brilliant," Sirius whispered.

"I was just thinking that," Remus answered speaking from the corner of his mouth so Tonks wouldn't see him, "It is a rather appropriate gift for you, don't you think?"

"… and then she said 'I don't care about your bloody dragons you git!' She picked that up from Sirius I assure you. The stuff that boy has been up to at his Muggle school…" Tonks continued on in her tirade.

"Dad, do you have any more chocolate? I want to save some for tomorrow," Elinore tugged on his sleeve. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her and she giggled. "I am not being nice to him," she said.

"Yeah, me either. You should hear what we have planned next…" Sirius jumped in. The look on his face was one of pure mischief and delight and Remus couldn't help laughing. He quickly tried to turn it into a cough as Tonks glared at him but the damage was already done.

Your children are being pure devils and you won't even listen to me!" She stomped her foot in anger and Remus sighed.

"You know Nymphadora; once upon a time you weren't this uptight. You would have been the one initiating the pranks and you would have appreciated Sirius's gift for mischief." She looked truly angry like she was about to explode and then she did something completely unexpected: she burst into tears. Remus looked at her in horror and confusion but the children only looked resigned.

"She's been doing that a lot lately," Elinore confided now munching on the chocolate intended for the next day.

"Yeah, she's been a bit batty since you left Dad," Sirius filled in watching as his mother slowly sank to her knees and then taking some chocolate from his little sister. Remus stood up and pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, Dora," he said using his old name for her. "My place is just around the corner. We can go there while you clean up." They walked down the street the children skipping ahead while Remus supported a crying Tonks.

They reached a nice sized flat about ten minutes later. It was tucked into a neat little alley and surrounded by other buildings. The place was warm and cheery and filled with books and pictures. Tonks sank onto the couch in the sitting room as the children disappeared to their rooms at the request of their father.

"I'm sorry" she began, "It's just so hard without you. I didn't know how much you did for me or what evil our children were capable of without you around." He conjured tea for them and handed her a cup along with a tissue.

"I haven't been sleeping well. I have nightmares and panic attacks. I don't even know what I am doing half the time anymore." "Remus, I can't live without you. I know you hate me and all I can do is say that I was stupid and foolish." She stared at him tearfully over the rim of her tea cup as she continued.

"During the war I would have stood by you whether we had Sirius or not. And if we hadn't I would have been beside you fighting. I would have killed Bellatrix instead of forcing you to do so. Don't ever question me or our love because it was pure then. You will never know fear like I did when Bellatrix told me she would kill our child and you the next time we met. I think I lost it after that day because I was always so fearful."

"Now the one thing I feared the most has happened, you are gone and I can't stand it. I can't stand that the cottage is no longer neat and there's no one to scold me for being messy, no one to catch me when I stumble, and no one to hold me at night. And don't you dare tell me that you haven't held me in years! I can't stand that there aren't stupid books everywhere or half written on pieces of parchment littering the place! There's no old Muggle records playing and there's no ready supply of chocolate! There's no wolf hair anywhere and there's no one to come home too!" She burst out passionately as Remus watched in shock.

"I don't know what happened to us -where we went wrong along the way. I think the war and the loved ones who died left deep scars we never noticed. I think life took us apart and a stupid desire to be young again. In reality all I need to make me feel that way is you. All I know is that we belong together and if I am not with you then I don't know who I am."

Remus listened to her tirade and watched as she began to cry again. He wanted so much to go to her and comfort her and take her seriously but he was afraid. He was afraid she meant none of it, afraid of being fooled again, afraid of being a lonely old man. So he sat there and avoided her eyes and said nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

A week later...

Molly Weasley grabbed Lupin up in a motherly hug. The years had been hard on her-she had gained a bit of weight, wrinkles, and more gray hair. Arthur who stood next to her was now almost completely bald. The loss of four of their sons in the War had taken its toll. Their remaining children and friends were thus doubly precious to them.

Despite this, Molly was currently not talking to her second son right now because he had broken up the Lupin family. She had a lot of respect and genuinely liked Lupin especially after everything he had done for her family. She thought he himself looked like hell she imagined that the last month had been hell on him. This was also the first time in 10 years he had had to go through the transformation alone.

"Remus, I am sorry about Charlie," she apologized. He got a weary look on his face and covered it with a polite smile.

"Don't worry about it," he soothed. "It was inevitable. They have always loved each other and I was foolish to come between them."

"No my son should not have come between a man and his wife. I raised him better than that!" Molly interjected.

"Molly, we were never married, one of the many consequences of the distrust towards werewolves I'm afraid. Besides I have my children, it is all I need. I was too old for her I knew from the beginning but I loved her and I didn't want to lose her and be lonely for the rest of my life."

"If you ask me she iz a harlot for the way she haz treated you," Fleur's musical tones filled the air as she came into the kitchen with her son. He had been 2 when his father died in the war and hardly remembered him. He was now 12. She kissed Molly on the check and hugged Remus.

"I don't know why you put up with it for zo long the way you did. I would have kicked her out a long time ago."

At Remus's easy smile and placid exterior she sighed. "You were alwayz zo kind for your own good." She turned away from him but her voice held affection in it. This was the Saturday night dinner at the Weasley's house. Everyone left alive in the family always tried to make it if they could. Remus had the feeling he had been invited in place of Charlie but he wasn't complaining about free food.

Fleur had grown from a pretty girl to a beautiful woman. Her hair was free from gray and she had no wrinkles. It was hard not to be attracted to her beauty but although she had many offers she had never remarried. Her affairs were carried out with discretion and never turned serious. She had lost Bill in the final battle of the war and it had changed her into a devoted, single mother. She was left with a small red headed boy who had the same ethereal light in his face that she did. The boy would be a lady killer when he grew up but until then he was content to play Quidditch with his friends.

Remus made it through dinner with minimum inquiries about his health, his love life, and his future. He loved the Weasleys to death but at times Molly's meddling got to him. It was nice to be distracted by others, however, and he managed to forget for a time his loneliness and confusion.

It was brought back to him later that evening, long after the older Weasleys had retired to bed. Fleur and Remus sat before a fire in the living room with a bottle of Fire Whiskey in front of them, most of its contents empty. They had been discussing idle things, their children, the minister of magic, when she asked him what had happened with Tonks.

Remus sighed as he stretched his long legs out towards the fire. He swirled his 5th glass of fire whiskey and glanced quickly at Fleur curled up in the corner of the sofa. He then turned back to stare into the fire and morosely began his story.

"Then she ssssays to me that she'ssss ready to come back. She missssses me. What the bloody hell am I suppooosed to ssssay to that? " he finished in a slur.

"Zhat Tonks was always zhinking of herself. I hope zhat you slammed za door in her face!" Fleur crowed drunkenly from across the room. Remus snorted into his drink remembering the distrust the two women shared for one another.

"I told her I needed time. I don't know how I'm ssssupposed to forgive her besides sssshe's damaged my pride." Remus said importantly as he swallowed the last of his drink.

"Oh Reeeemuz," she laughed. "You men are all ze zame. If what you want iz Tonkz zen tell 'er. Don't let your pride stop you. Life iz to short for zat. I miss Bill everyday but I am glad we 'ad even a short time." She finished her glass and set it down.

"Honestly, I don't know if I can forgive her and let her back into my life," he said sadly pouring himself and Fleur another glass.

"You know what you need? A lover! Zat is the French way to get over it" she declared taking a swig.

Remus snorted so hard, Fire Whiskey came out of his nose and he began coughing. Fleur rushed over to pound him on the back until he waved her off.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said his face returning to its normal color. She perched nearby on the edge of his chair and eyed him up and down.

"Zat is exactly vat you need someone to make you feel young and whole again! Zen you can decide what you want."

He looked up at her in astonishment. Was Fleur serious? Did she honestly think that was the solution to his problem? Was it the fire whiskey talking? The idea was amusing and might have some merit if he wasn't who he was. His face clouded over as he answered her.

"Bloody hell," he murmured. "Where am I supposed to find someone to bed an old werewolf like me? Someone who doesn't mind gray hair and old scars? The idea is ridiculous. "

"It'z not! I zink gray hair iz zexy. Besides, I 'ave 'eard ze stories about your younger dayz as a womanizer," she said drunkenly winking at him.

He stared at her in open astonishment. Was this beautiful woman hitting on him? He wasn't sure what to say to it all. The fire whiskey was fogging his brain and he watched in a daze as she leaned down to kiss him. The kiss was deep and it awakened a hunger in him he didn't know was there.

Before he quite realized what was happening she had broken it off and told him she was off to bed. He watched her go his mouth hanging open in shock. As she reached the door she turned to look at him over her shoulder and asked "Are you coming?"

Remus watched her walk out the door before gulping down the remains of his drink and standing up. "Bloody hell," he muttered as he followed her up the stairs.


End file.
